Method for insulating wire terminations

ABSTRACT

A COLD CRIMP SLEEVE APPLICATOR IS FED WITH A CONTINUOUS LENGTH OF SLEEVE MATERIAL DIRECTED AGAINST A STOP AT A CUTTING STATION FROM WHICH THE CUT LENGTH IS TRANSFERRED LATERALLY TO A CRIMPING STATION, THE CRIMPINGDIES AND THE SHEAR BLADE BEING OPERATED SIMULTANEOUSLY. A FURTHER TRANSFER DEVICE IS PROVIDED FOR MOVING THE TRANSFERRED CIT LENGTH OF SLEEVE INTO THE CRIMPING DIES FROM A FIRST TRANSFER PATH AND THIS DEVICE HAS A STOP DESIGNED TO LOCATE THE LEADING END OF A TERMINAL IN PREDETERMIED POSITON WITHIN THE COLD CRIMP SLEEVE.

May 22, 1973 c. MASINO ETAL 3,734,992

METHOD FOR INSULATING WIRE TERMINATIONS Orizinal Filed Jan. 29, 1969 4Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR CARLO MASINO PAOLO 6| LARDINO May 22, 1973 c.MASINO ET AL 3,734,992

METHOD FOR INSULATING WIRE TERMINATIONS Original Filed Jan. 29, 1969 4Sheets-Sheet 2 T F165 Q INVENTOR CARLO MASINO PAOLO GILARDI 1973 c.MASINO ET AL 3,734,992

METHOD FOR INSULATING WIRE TERMINATIONS Criminal Filed Jan. 29, 1969 4Sheets-Sheet 3 I NVENTOR CARLO MASINO PA GI ARD BY XKQAL United StatesPatent Oflice 3,734,992 METHOD FOR INSULATING WIRE TERMINATIONS CarloMasino and Paolo Gilardino, Turin, Italy, assignors to AMP Incorporated,Harrisburg, Pa.

Original application Jan. 29, 1969, Ser. No. 794,882, now abandoned.Divided and this application Apr. 8, 1970, Ser. No. 29,343

Claims priority, application Italy, Jan. 31, 1968, 12,254/ 68 Int. Cl.HOlb 19/00; H02g 15/00 US. Cl. 264159 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE This application is a division of Ser. No. 794,882 filed Jan.29, 1969, now abandoned.

This invention relates to improved method and means for insulating wireterminations by the cold-crimp sleeve technique.

This technique concerns the securing of a sleeve of insulation about aterminal at the end of a conductor wire by deforming the insulatingsleeve in a cold state about the terminal. Suitable plastic insulatingmaterial for the purpose is generally hard relative to conventionalinsulating boots which are often used for a similar purpose. It haspreviously been proposed to employ a machine to effect the cold-crimpingoperation, but difficulty has been experienced in feeding the sleeves tothe crimping dies at a usefully fast rate. According to one method,short lengths of sleeves are cut from a sleeve length and then fed tothe crimping device through a vibratory or bowl feed, but difiiculty isexperienced in ensuring precise orientation of a sleeve length with thedies and the connector terminal to be received unless a slow rate ofoperation is maintained.

According to the present invention a continuous sleeve length is fed toa cutting and measuring station at which an end length of sleeve is cutfrom the continuous length, the end length is then transferred laterallyfrom the cutting station into alignment with a crimping station, feedingmeans for the sleeve being operated to position a further length ofsleeve in the cutting station and transfer the first cut length into thecrimping station, operation of a ram for crimping the first length ofsleeve about a wire termination effecting a cutting operation at thecutting station.

The invention includes a method of insulating a wire termination by thecold-crimp sleeve technique, which comprises feeding a continuous lengthof insulating sleeve to a cutting and measuring station at which an endlength of sleeve is cut from the continuous length, the end length thenbeing transferred laterally from the cutting and measuring station intoalignment with the crimping station, feeding means being then operatedto transfer the cut length into the crimping station, and a wiretermination being inserted into the cut length at the crimp ing stationto an extent limited by a stop provided by the feeding means, whereaftera ram is operated to cold crimp the cut length to the wire termination.

3,734,992 Patented May 22, 1973 The invention further includes acrimping machine for cold-crimping lengths of insulating sleeve aboutwire terminations by the cold crimp sleeve technique, in which a feeddevice is arranged for step-by-step feeding of a continuous length ofcold-crimp sleeve material through a feed passageway, a slot extendingtransversely of the feed passageway for access of a cutting device forcutting the sleeve at the slot, a first transfer device being arrangedfor transferring a cut length of sleeve from the passageway laterallyinto alignment with a crimping device and a second transfer device beingarranged to advance the cut length of sleeve axially to the crimpingdevice, the second transfer device providing a wire termination stop forobturating the trailing end of the cut length at the crimping device.

The invention moreover includes a crimping machine comprising a feeddevice for step-by-step feeding of a continuous length of cold-crimpsleeve material through a feed passageway, the slot extendingtransversely of the feed passageway for access of a cutting device forcuting the sleeve at the slot, and a transfer device for transferring acut length of sleeve from the passageway laterally to a crimping device.

An object of the invention is to provide a crimping machine' forcold-crimping cut lengths of a sleeve having cold-crimpingcharacteristics onto electrical terminals.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a crimping machinewhich cuts the sleeve to provide an insulating sleeve ready to betransferred to a position in alignment with crimping dies while aninsulating sleeve is being crimped onto an electrical terminal.

A further object is to provide a crimping machine wherein a transferdevice is used to transfer a cut length of sleeve into a crimping areawhereat crimping dies cold-crimp the cut length of sleeve onto anelectrical terminal.

An additional object is the provision that the transfer device defines astop whereby the electrical terminal is positioned properly within thecut length of sleeve so that proper insulation thereof is effected.

A still further object is to provide a method of coldcrimping aninsulating sleeve onto an electrical terminal and the wire to which theelectrical terminal is terminated.

Still an adlitional object is the provision of an electrical terminalterminated to an end of an electrical wire and an insulating sleevecold-crimped thereonto to completely insulate the terminated end of thewire to provide an electrical connector assembly.

Other objects and attainments of the present invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings inwhich there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of theinvention; it is to be understood, however, that this embodiment is notintended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention but is given forpurposes of illustration in order that others skilled in the art mayfully understand the invention and the principles thereof and the mannerof applying it in practical use so that they may modify it in variousforms, each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with referenceto the accompanying partly diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective and exploded view of a typical wire terminationand an insulating sleeve for cold-crimping about the termination;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views of the termination and sleeve ofFIG. 1 being subjected to a cold-crimping operation;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the insulated termination resulting fromthe operation of FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. is a fragmentary, partly cross-sectional and elevational view of amachine for effecting insulation of a wire termination by cold-crimpingshort lengths of insulating sleeve supplied to the machine as acontinuous length, the section being taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the machine of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, partly cross-sectional view of the machinetaken on the line 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the machine taken on theline 7--7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line 9-9 of FIG.6; and

FIG. is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line 10--10 of FIG.6.

In FIG. 1 an electrical connector tab receptacle 1 is shown crimped toan insulated wire 2 and disposed adjacent a length of insulating sleeve3 suitable for coldcrimping to the connector. The receptacle 1 isadapted at its forward end releasably to receive a tab in wellknownmanner to effect electrical connection. At its rear end, the receptaclehas a wire-crimp section 4 and an insulation support section 5 which aresecured respectively to the wire core and the insulation of an endportion of the insulated conductor wire 2, the wire crimp 4 being ofsmaller cross-sectional area than the insulation support section 5 andthan the forward receptacle portion. Such connectors are generallyapplied to wires in an automatic machine supplied with connectors instrip form resulting in wires terminated with connectors in the mannershown in FIG. 1. It is often desirable to extend the insulation of theconductor around the connector receptacle and for such purpose theconnector receptacle is disposed within a sleeve of insulating material3 within which, as shown in FIG. 2, it is a free sliding fit, the sleevebeing longer than the connector. Suitably, in the case of a receptacleof the kind shown, the sleeve is of oval or flattened cross-sectionapproximating to the peripheral cross-sectional contour of thereceptacle portion of the connector. It will be understood, however,that the insulating technique is equally applicable to other forms ofconnector and such other forms as may require a sleeve of a differentcross-sectional shape than the sleeve shown.

As shown in FIG. 2, the connector receptatcle 1 is positioned with itsforward end short of one end of the sleeve 3 and with the insulationsupport 5 spaced inwardly of the other end by a substantial distance sothat a length of the insulated conductor 2 penetrates the sleeve 3. Thesleeve 3 is then cold-crimped at zone A, around the wire crimp section 4and zone B, rearwardly of the insulation support 5 and around theinsulated conductor wire 2, as shown in FIG. 3, by suitable die sets 6and 7. The dies compress and cold work the sleeve material to reduce thecross-sectional area of the sleeve at the zones A and B to provide anelectrical connector assembly. At the zone A, the sleeve is reduced incross-section to project into a recess between the receptacle portionand the insulation support section, and it may be a relatively tight fitaround the wire crimp section 4. At the zone B, the sleeve may bereduced to a lesser extent, loosely to embrace the wire insulation andshield the insulation support 5 from access.

The crimped zones A and B serve to secure the sleeve 3 to the receptacle1 against inadvertent removal without constraining the properfunctioning of the receptacle.

The machine for preparing sleeves 3 of appropriate length from acontinuous length of sleeve material and applying individual lengths 3about connectors comprises a machine frame 10 supporting a drivingdevice, not shown, for a press ram 11 reciprocable vertically as seen inFIG. 5. The lower end of the ram 11 carries a pair of dies 12, 13engageable with complementary dies 12', 13' mounted on the frame 10 forcold-crimping a sleeve about a connector in the manner described inconnection with FIGS. 2 to 4. The ram 11 also carries a shear blade 14 4remote from the dies 12 and 13 as seen in FIGS. 5 and 7 and reciprocablevertically with ram 11 in a slot 15 seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, and definedbetween blocks 16 and 17 secured to the frame 10. The blocks 16 and 17are formed with respective aligned passageways 18, 19 of uniformcross-section for the passage of insulating sleeve 20 fed by areciprocable feed block 21 disposed on a side of block 17 remote fromslot 15. The passageways 18, 19 have a cross-section corresponding tothe crosssection periphery of the sleeve material 20 and within whichthe sleeve is a sliding fit. A spring plunger 22 is arrangedtransversely of bore 19 to engage the sleeve on its upper side withsuflicient force to allow feeding of the sleeve 21 towards block 16under the force of the feed block 21 but to resist withdrawal of thesleeve or non-feeding movement of the block 21, to be described.

The feed block 21 is reciprocable on a guide bar 23 secured to block .17and extending parallel to passageways 18, 19. The block 21 is driven bya piston and cylinder device 24 and is formed with a passageway 25aligned with passageways 18, 19, and through which the sleeve material20 is arranged to pass. As seen in FIGS. 6 and 8, two jaw members 26 areslidably disposed within passageway 25 in guideways which converge in adirection away from block 17. The jaw members are biased down theguideways by springs 26a to clamp the sleeve 20 with light pressure. Onwithdrawal movement to the right, as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, of block 21,friction of the jaw members 26 on the sleeve resists their movement sothat the jaw members tend to diverge, being driven up the inclinedguideways and the sleeve being held by the spring clamp 22 of block 17,until the jaw members release the sleeve and move to the right withblock 21. On reverse movement, the jaw members are driven together bywedge action of the guideways to clamp the sleeve tightly until theclamp 22 is overcome and the sleeve is fed into bore 18. The sleevematerial 20 is supplied from a reel mounted on the frame 10 but notshown.

The passageways 18, 19 are, as seen in FIG. 5, disposed at the samelevel as the lower dies 12', 13, but the passageway 18 is disposedlaterally of these dies, and between the dies and the shear blade 14.The passageway 18 is closed, at the end remote from block 17 by a stopmember 27. As seen in FIG. 7, the passageway 18 communicates at one sidewith a slot 28 of equal height and of Width equal to the length ofpassageway 18, i.e. the thickness of the block 16. The slot extendstowards the crimping dies 12, 12' and 13, 13' so that a length of sleevecan be moved laterally from passageway 18 through slot 28 into alignmentwith the dies 12, 12 and 13, 13'. The slot 28 at its end remote frompassageway 18 is closed by a stop shoulder 29. A piston and cylinderdevice 30 supported by the frame 10 has a ram driving a transfer head 31aligned with and slidable in slot 28 for trans ferring the sleevelengths from the passageway 18 to the stop 29 in alignment with the dies12, 12 and 13, 13. Adjacent the stop shoulder 29, the upper side of theslot 28 is open and a sprung arm 32 projects through the openingreleasably to clamp the sleeve lengths in position pending theirtransfer to the dies.

A transfer plunger 33, seen most clearly in FIG. 9, is provided fortransferring lengths of sleeve from the end of slot 28 and beneath arm32. The plunger 33 is secured to the reciprocable feed block 21 andextends slidably through a bore 33a in block 17 to terminate in an endportion 34 of reduced cross-section corresponding to the cross-sectionalcontour of the sleeve material. The end portion 34 at its tip isshouldered at 35 to present a short length insertable within the end ofthe sleeve material. The end portion 34 at its tip is shouldered at 35to present a short length insertable within the end of the sleevematerial. 0n full forward feeding movement of block 21 to the positionof FIG. 9, a length 3 of sleeve 20 is transferred from the slot 28 tobridge the dies 12', 13' with part of the sleeve remaining beneath thehold-down arm 32. A further hold-down arm 36 is positioned between thedies 12, 13 to guide the sleeve length and hold it in correctorientation at the dies as shown in FIG. 10.

In operation, the continuous length of sleeve 20 is positioned with anend portion passing through the feed block 21 to penetrate thepassageway 19 of block 17 and passageway 18 of block 16, the end of thesleeve 20 abutting the stop 27. To effect this positioning, the ram 11,with upper dies 12, 13 and shear blade 14, is elevated to free the slot15 between passageways 18 and 19 for passage of the sleeve, the feedblock 21 is in its forward position as shown in FIG. 5, and the transferhead 31 in its withdrawn position of FIG. 7. The ram 11 is lowered tothe FIG. position, the cutting edge of the shear blade 14 severing thesleeve 20 at the slot 15. The ram 11 is then elevated to withdraw theblade 14 from the slot, and the feed block 21 is withdrawn to the rightin FIG. 5, the jaw members releasing from the sleeve 20 which is held inthe block 17 by clamp 22. Withdrawal of block 21 also effects withdrawalof plunger 34 from the slot 28 to free the slot for transfer of thesheared end length 3 of sleeve 20.

The piston and cylinder device 30 is operated to drive the transfer head31 to the right as seen in FIG. 7, to transfer the sheared length 3 ofsleeve through slot 28 from the broken line position C to the full-lineposition D, i.e. from the passageway 18 to a position aligned with thedies 12, 13 and the plunger 33, 34. The transfer head is then withdrawnto the FIG. 7 condition, the sleeve length being retained in position Dby hold-down arm 32 and the piston and cylinder 24 operated to advancethe feed block 21 to the FIG. 5 condition and feed a further length ofsleeve into the passageway 18 until the end abuts the stop 27. The feedblock 21 is suitably adapted to overfeed by a short length to ensurethat the sleeve end abuts the stop 27 and causes a small amount of slipat the jaw members 26 to ensure constant lengths of sleeves being cut bythe shear blade 14.

On feeding movement of block 21, the plunger 33, 34 is moved throughblock 17 to transfer the cut sleeve length 3 to the position shown inFIG. 9 with an end of the cut length 3 overlying the die 13' and theother end being disposed beneath the hold-down arm 32, the sleevebridging the die 12.

A connector crimped to a wire is manually inserted into the exposed openend of sleeve 3 above die 13' to the position generally shown in FIG. 2.The shouldered tip 35 of plunger 33, 34 serves as a stop to position theleading end of the connector short of the end of the sleeve length 3. Atthis condition, the ram 11 is lowered to mate the dies 12, 13 withcomplementary dies 12', 13' and cold-crimp the sleeve portion about theconnector and Wire generally as described in connection with FIG. 3. Theshear blade 14 simultaneously severs the continuous sleeve length 20 inthe slot 15 so that the machine is ready for a further cycle ofoperation in the manner described.

On elevation of the ram to repeat this cycle, the connector with thesleeve length 3 is released from the dies 12, 13 for manual withdrawal.

While in the embodiment disclosed the plunger 33, 34 at its shoulderedtip 35 is arranged to act as a stop to position the leading end of theconnector short of the end of sleeve length 3, the shouldered tip 35 maybe altered to position the leading end at any desired position. Forexample, the tip of the plunger may be recessed to allow the leading endof the connector to project forwardly of the sleeve length or it mayterminate flush with the end of the sleeve length to locate the leadingend of the connector at that position.

It will, therefore, be appreciated that the aforementioned and otherdesirable objects have been achieved; however, it should be emphasizedthat the particular embodiment of the invention, 'which is shown anddescribed herein, is intended as merely illustrative and not asrestrictive of the invention.

The invention is claimed in accordance with the following:

1. A method of insulating a wire termination by the cold-crimp sleevetechnique, which comprises feeding a continuous length of tubularinsulating sleeve of coldcrimpable material against a stop at a cuttingand measuring station, cutting an end length of sleeve from thecontinuous length at a predetermined distance from the stop,transferring the cut end length laterally from the cutting and measuringstation into alignment with a crimping station spaced sidewardly fromthe continuous length of insulating sleeve, feeding the cut length intothe crimping station and simultaneously feeding the continuous length ofsleeve towards the stop, inserting a Wire termination into the cutlength at the crimping station to an extent limited by a stop, andcrimping the cut length to the wire termination.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step ofcutting the continous length of insulating sleeve at the cutting andmeasuring station simultaneously with the crimping of the cut length tothe wire termination.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,361,138 1/1968 Metzinger et al.931 C X 3,436,006 4/1969 Cole 264-23 3,506,411 4/1970 Robins 29-433 X3,537,167 11/1970 Lawson 29-203 3,547,334 12/1970 Gwyn, Jr 29630 C3,562,904 2/1971 Lau et al 18-005 RICHARD J. HERBS-T, Primary ExaminerR. W. CHURCH, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

